Rage Hard

Rating: Null/10 (19 November 2009)

The one that re-invented the zombie picture. Even though they're not technically zombies. And that featured zombies running. Even though Dan O'Bannon did it first in Return Of The Living Dead. And that pictured a lone man wandering through an eerily deserted city, save for some sleeping trolls. Even though it's a virtual retread of 1971's The Omega Man.
Well, whatever: 'The Beach' writer Alex Garland and Boyle's very English apocalypse still contains enough dazzling set-pieces and scary moments to hold its own with the best of them. Take that powerfully effective opening scene for example: Danny Boyle's conceit of a desolate metropolis (a nightmare for some; a wonderful dream for others), which was achieved by roping back pedestrians during early morning shoots.
Or that upturned, shattered double-decker bus, grimly calling to mind the events of 7 July 2005 in the capital. Above all, those speedy, rage-filled 'monsters' (in gurning, imperfect imitation of their previous humanity) perfectly compliment Boyle's own zippy cameras. See: that nail-biting race through the tunnel to get back to the taxi. He loves a bit of running, does Danny.